The Department of Health (DH) today (February 28) is investigating an information system incident involving the influenza and pneumococcal vaccination records in its Clinical Information Management System. Due to a computer programme problem in transmitting vaccination records, such records of some vaccine recipients could not be displayed. The DH has immediately suspended the operation of the affected vaccination record system to rectify the problem.
 
     Launched in August last year, the vaccination record system was developed to facilitate access to the influenza and pneumococcal vaccination records of members of the public among DH, Hospital Authority (HA) and private doctors enrolled in the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS). The DH received a notification by HA on February 26 concerning an inconsistency of vaccination status shown in the vaccination record system. Upon investigation by the DH, a computer programme problem has been identified and the influenza and pneumococcal vaccination records of the public at some DH's clinics could not be shown to HA and private doctors enrolled in the VSS.
 
     After reviewing all the information in the vaccination record system by DH and HA, records of 47 persons show that they have received two doses of the same vaccine in the 2018/19 season. Among them, 21 were patients at HA and 26 were members of the public using the VSS. The DH has immediately contacted the 47 affected persons on the incident.
 
     The DH attaches great concern to this incident and apologises to those affected persons. The DH emphasizes that the incident did not pose risk of leakage of personal information or downloading of personal data by unauthorised persons, and that services of sharing vaccination records with the Electronic Health Record Sharing System have not been affected. The DH and HA have checked all the records in the system and the computer programme has already been fixed. Transmission of vaccination records has resumed normal from 3pm today. The DH will continue to closely monitor the operation of the system to avoid the recurrence of similar incidents in future.
 
     If members of the public wish to enquire about further details of the incident, they may contact the Vaccination Office of the Centre for Health Protection of the DH at 2125 2125 during office hours.

     Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok today (February 28):
 
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid (Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Dr Somkid Jatusripitak), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good afternoon.  It has been such a pleasure coming back to Thailand a third time since I took office some 20 months ago, and this time, welcoming you all to a Hong Kong home, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, here in this great global city of Bangkok.
 
     Today's memorable occasion would not be possible without the staunch support of the Thai Government, particularly Prime Minister Mr Prayut who first raised the idea of a Hong Kong office in Thailand during my visit in August 2017.  And I have to thank the Deputy Prime Minister Dr Somkid for his personal attention on this matter which is instrumental in enabling us to establish this office within just 17 months, from the day I announced our intention to do so in October 2017.  I also have to put on record my deepest gratitude to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)– Minister Wang Yi, Commissioner Xie Feng of the Office of the MFA in Hong Kong and Ambassador Lyu and his predecessor for their support and encouragement.  I must also thank my own colleagues – the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau and his team for their diligence in taking forward all the preparatory work.
 
     Our Bangkok Economic and Trade Office (ETO) is Hong Kong's 13th overseas ETO and our third in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.  Indeed, our second ETO in the ASEAN, the Jakarta Office was only opened less than three years ago, while the Singapore Office had been Hong Kong Government's only official presence in the ASEAN until 2016.  The establishment of the Bangkok Office is a clear and compelling statement of the importance of ASEAN to Hong Kong.  Last year, trade between Hong Kong and ASEAN reached US$136.5 billion, up more than 14 per cent over 2017.  Indeed, ASEAN is our second largest trading partner – and has been occupying that position since 2010.
 
     Thailand and Hong Kong have long been close partners. Thailand is Hong Kong's ninth-largest merchandise trading partner, third among ASEAN member states.  Thailand was also among the first ASEAN member states to complete all procedures required to bring the ASEAN-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Investment Agreement into force.  The agreements were signed in November 2017.  Since then, Thailand has encouraged other ASEAN member states to expedite their FTA ratification process, for which I am very grateful.
 
     Looking ahead, I expect the Bangkok ETO to play the role of facilitator, connecting businesses and organisations between Hong Kong and Thailand, serving as a catalyst to take our cooperation to new heights and fresh directions.  On our side, that means expanding our presence in Thailand, exploring, in particular, the 10 targeted industries under the Thailand 4.0 economic model.  For Thai companies, Hong Kong is a global leader in financial and professional services.  And I look forward to seeing more Thai businesses setting up branches in Hong Kong.
 
     My Government will participate in the Techsauce Global Summit, here in June.  Among other things, we'll promote Hong Kong's advantages as a tech start-up hub, especially within the context of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.  We'll also organise a business seminar in Bangkok in the second half of this year.  It will put a spotlight on Hong Kong opportunities, including those arising from our commitment to innovation and technology development, as well as to the promise of the Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative.
 
     Relationship between Hong Kong and Thailand is not confined to business.  For the past two years, Hong Kong has been offering Belt and Road Scholarships to outstanding Thai students wishing to study in Hong Kong.  The programme can only encourage more academic and youth exchanges between us.  The people of Hong Kong are certainly enthusiastic about taking in the manifold delights of Thailand.  Last year, more than one million Hong Kong tourists visited the Land of Smiles.  It helps that there are over 24 direct passenger flights each day between Bangkok and Hong Kong.
 
     With the new ETO now in place here, I am confident that connections between the people of Hong Kong and Thailand will continue to expand and excel – in business, in culture, travel, education and so much more.
 
     Before I close, allow me to thank Deputy Prime Minister Somkid again and all the other officials involved for their unfailing commitment to the opening of the Hong Kong ETO here in Bangkok.  Without counting today's events, Dr Somkid and I have already met four times in the past two years, twice in Hong Kong and twice in Bangkok, which is more than any other foreign senior officials.  Without these fruitful meetings, and Dr Somkid's unfailing and enthusiastic support, this office would still be a work in progress. So thank you very much, Dr Somkid.
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy this very special afternoon.  And, in this promising Chinese New Year of the Pig, I wish you all good health, happiness and plenty of prosperity.  Thank you very much.

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok (Bangkok ETO) commenced operation today (February 28). The opening of the third Economic and Trade Office established by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region is set to further strengthen Hong Kong's economic and trade relations with the region for more new business opportunities.
 
     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Dr Somkid Jatusripitak; the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Kingdom of Thailand, Mr Lyu Jian; and the Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council, Mr Bernard Chan, officiated at the opening ceremony of the Bangkok ETO in Bangkok, Thailand today.
 
     Addressing the opening ceremony, Mrs Lam, said that the establishment of the Bangkok Office is a clear and compelling statement of the importance of ASEAN to Hong Kong, noting that ASEAN is Hong Kong's second largest trading partner since 2010.

     Looking ahead, Mrs Lam expected the Bangkok ETO to play the role of facilitator to connect businesses and organisations between Hong Kong and Thailand, and serve as a catalyst to take the cooperation of both sides to new heights and fresh directions.

     Thailand is Hong Kong's ninth largest merchandise trading partner and one of the closest partners among the ASEAN members, with potentials in various target areas for Hong Kong, including information and communications technology industry, consumer products and logistics industry. Thai enterprises in these industries will proactively expand their international business under the Belt and Road Initiative. They thus see enormous potentials in making investment or increasing investment in Hong Kong.
 
     The geographical coverage of the Bangkok ETO includes Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Bangladesh, which is another country with great development potentials. The ETOs in Singapore and Jakarta will continue to cover other countries in the ASEAN region.
 
     The location and contact details of the Bangkok ETO are as follows:
 
Address: Sathorn Square, 21st Floor, Office Number 2107-2110, 98 North Sathorn Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok, 10500 Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2105 6309
Fax: +66 (0) 2105 6301
Email: general@hketobangkok.gov.hk
 
     Apart from the three ETOs in the ASEAN region, Hong Kong has currently set up 10 overseas ETOs which are responsible for maintaining close contact with local government officials, trade unions and media organisations etc. They arrange or co-organise promotional events with other overseas Hong Kong organisations to promote Hong Kong's advantages and latest developments.

    

     The Department of Health (DH) today (February 28) endorsed a licensed wholesaler of proprietary Chinese medicine (pCm), Hong Kong Premier Concentrated Chinese Herbs Limited (Premier), to voluntarily recall a total of three batches of three types of compound Chinese medicine granules because the amount of the excipients in the related products did not match with the particulars of their registration records.  The products are suspected to be unregistered pCm.
 
     The details of the above three compound Chinese medicine granules are as follows:
 

     Acting upon intelligence, the DH immediately conducted investigation at Premier and seized related Chinese medicine granules. According to the information provided by Premier, the amount of excipients used in the production of the above Chinese medicine granules did not match with registered particulars and such change had not been approved by the Chinese Medicines Board under the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong (CMCHK), which might render the above products as unregistered pCm.
 
     Preliminary investigation revealed that the related batches of Chinese medicine granules were manufactured in the Mainland and imported by Premier for distribution to local Chinese medicine practitioners. Premier has been voluntarily recalling the above batches of products from the market and set up a hotline (2333 9012) for public enquiries.
 
     "Investigation are ongoing and the DH will closely monitor the recall. So far, no related adverse reports have been received and no evidence on safety issue of the related product was found," a spokesman for the DH said.

     According to section 119 of the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap 549), no person shall sell, import or possess any pCm unless it is registered. The maximum penalty is a fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment. The DH will seek advice from the Department of Justice on prosecution matters upon completion of the investigation, and will refer the case to the CMCHK for consideration of possible disciplinary action.

     Members of the public who have consumed the above Chinese medicine granules and are feeling unwell should seek advice from healthcare professionals.

  

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session in Bangkok, Thailand this afternoon (February 28):

Good afternoon, friends of the media. Today is a very auspicious day for the Hong Kong-Thailand relationship, because I'm coming over to formally open our Bangkok Economic and Trade Office. This is our third office in the ASEAN region, and the first being opened during my term of government. There is a very interesting background to this and a lot of friendship involved between myself, the Prime Minister of Thailand and the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand leading to this very successful establishment of the Bangkok Economic and Trade Office. I'm sure the presence of this office will usher in a new era of closer collaboration between Hong Kong and Thailand, not only in terms of trade and investment and commerce, but also in other areas like culture, education, technology, creative industries and people-to-people exchange. I just wish to thank also the media for covering my visit and the opening of this office. Thank you very much. 

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)